VERY intriguing video from Angela Lee Duckworth at a Ted Conference on what makes a good student (or a successful person in general). It’s not IQ, Standardized Test Scores, perceived safety, or Socio-economic Status. It’s just pure grit.

Another interesting observation is that a person’s view of failure is crucial. Failure is not permanent. You simply change and grow based on that failure. We need to learn to focus more on that in the school systems. If we could get kids to understand that pop quizzes show them what they need to focus on for the bigger test, perhaps we could help them in developing that mindset of failure.

Something I wonder about is whether the Christian Faith helps in the formation of that grit. If the concept of failure not being permanent is a key, it seems that is at the core of Christianity. Isn’t that what we base our salvation on? The Grace that our failures are not permanent? What do you think?